Amazon’s march to embed Alexa into every home continues. Earlier this fall, the company announced a wave of chat-enabled products that not only enhance what chat can do, but also bring together several features.

Randy Murphy, CEO and president of Mama Fu's Asian House, needed to get a handle on his company's stagnant loyalty program. He turned to Ryan Wuerch, founder and CEO of Dosh, who proposed the idea of an app-based cash-back program.

Although services exist to allow people to rent high-end apparel and accessories from other fashionistas in their area, a website now allows it on a national level. Chicago-based DesignerShare first launched in 2017 and relaunched a few months ago as a peer-to-peer platform to allow people to rent fashion items that may cost more than $1,000 purchased new — at rates typically between $50 and $150 per week.

Consumers are growing more conscious about the food choices they make and are seeking greater access to more healthy items. Many grocers are expanding their organic and natural offerings to serve the growing market, including Midwestern grocer Hy-Vee, which introduced a new concept this summer that puts healthy foods, amenities and a fitness center all in one location.

The din from the drum of the EMV mandate is not what it was three years ago. But the reverberations over compelling retailers to adopt costly new point-of-sale technology in order to accept new chip-based credit and debit cards — and the debate over whether doing so has reduced fraud — continue to ripple through the industry.

What does it take to develop a successful digital commerce business? Download the FitForCommerce report to learn how to develop the right OMS strategy, build a high-performing team and select the right technologies to stay competitive.

Buying a veil online can be challenging in its own right — how long will it be on a tall frame, will the color match the gown well enough? — but Jaclyn Jordan, founder of Jaclyn Jordan New York, says the Wix ecommerce system she uses has built-in tools like a messaging platform that make the process quick, reliable and simple.

NRF is proud to provide our members with the online Retail Buying Guide to search for trusted vendors, products and services in the retail industry. Our guide is a user-friendly forum designed to bring suppliers and purchasers together. You can search by keyword, location, company name or category. Available whenever you need it, the Retail Buying Guide makes it easy to locate products and professional services geared to the retail industry. Click here to visit the online Retail Buying Guide! To advertise, please contact Sarah Allen for more information.

We’ve come a long way from never letting them see you sweat. Myro puts the focus front and center on deodorant, offering premium scents like bergamot/lavender/vetiver; a subscription-based model; recyclable and refillable packaging; and a formula made with 99 percent natural ingredients and no aluminum, parabens, phthalates, triclosan or other potentially troublesome ingredients.

Domino’s Pizza had significantly more diehard fans in Russia than it realized. The company announced a promotion in which anyone who tattooed its logo on their body would receive free pizza for life. The promotion was supposed to last for two months, but response was so swift that it was shut down within days.

Some folks shop at thrift stores all the year through — so why not the holidays, too? National Thrift Shop Day was held in the summer, but the sixth annual Thrift Shopping Survey by Savers offered insight that is as fresh as ever. Start with the stat that 83 million tons of unnecessary apparel waste is thrown away each year.

Debit, cash or credit? Apparently, it still depends on the amount. A study by CreditCards.com showed that 45 percent of Americans still prefer paying cash for purchases under $10; 30 percent choose debit for that amount, and 23 percent choose credit. Credit cards tend to come out when the cost is $25 or higher.

From the Memory Mirror to the Snap Find Shop, Neiman Marcus Innovation Lab founder and Director Scott Emmons has helped the 109-year-old luxury retailer choose the type of technology and systems necessary to stay on the cutting edge of retail. On the latest episode of NRF’s Retail Gets Real podcast, Emmons offers tips on how retailers can begin powering innovation efforts in their organizations and what he believes retail will look like in the future.

Since its inception in 2017, the Innovation Lab at NRF’s annual convention has featured more than 75 technologies that have changed shopping. With NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show just weeks away, here’s a look at where past Innovation Lab exhibitors are now.

The inaugural NRF Foundation Student Program debuted five years ago and it has grown tremendously since then – more than 1,000 college students are projected to attend in 2019. NRF Foundation President Ellen Davis says students and educators can expect more technology-focused sessions, the largest retail hiring event for college students, important conversations on diversity and inclusion and connections with an amazing lineup of brands.

Island Pacific has over 40 years of experience providing software solutions to over 600 global multichannel retailers. Island Pacific SmartSuite is available as a comprehensive, integrated system, or as feature-rich, stand-alone modules. From the creation of initial plans, inventory management, business intelligence, Unified commerce, mobile and fixed counter POS. All modules interact seamlessly, ensuring data integrity and a single view of information driving business growth and consistent Return on investment

XenoHolographic Inc., a subsidiary of Imagination Park Entertainment Inc., has been contracted to provide the exclusive Augmented Reality Experience at Mall of America this holiday season starting December 4, 2018.

Visitors to the Beverly Center, an iconic shopping and dining destination in Los Angeles, will soon be able to park more quickly upon arrival at the four-level, 3,000-parking-space garage, as well as find their car faster upon return, thanks in part to Park Assist.

Women's fashion apparel retailer, Chico's FAS is implementing Salesfloor’s clienteling module and shopping apps which are expected to help personalize the customer experience in-store and online.

More than ever the burden of improving revenue, reducing organizational costs, boosting efficiency and therefore becoming more cost effective is the responsibility of the retail operations team. With limited resources and money, Operations need to find better ways of doing business to increase productivity, improve communications, and implement corporate directives across the entire retail environment.

JOANN, a fabric and craft retailer, has launched MyFabric to allow customers to show their personal style through completely customized fabric creation. Powered by WeaveUp, the program offers customers unprecedented design control and product quality.

JamesAllen.com, an online diamond bridal jewelry retailer, recently announced the official grand opening of its new bricks-and-mortar retail experience in Georgetown. Customers can now experience the JamesAllen.com brand in a physical environment enhanced by the brand’s technology-forward approach to shopping.

Petco, a leading specialty retailer of premium pet food, supplies and services, has chosen Yantriks to deploy new 'buy online pick up in-store' technology to 1,500 stores nationwide.